(pb; 2010: second book in the Tattoo Shop Mystery series)
From the back cover:
"After Brett [Kavanaugh] and company ink Sin City's newest drag queen stars, they're invited to an opening night at the Strip's glamorous Nylons and Tattoos show. An evening of glitter and dancing ends in disaster when a stranger with a queen of hearts tattoo fells Brittany Brassieres with a wayward champagne cork.
"Even though Britney recovers, she mysteriously dies soon after, and then another drag queen is found poisoned. Someone's targeting Vegas's fabulous femmes. And sharp-as-a-needle Brett must crack the case before the show's over for good.
Review:
Engaging characters and colorful settings highlight this often-fun read. As a mystery, though, Pretty is a failure - its villains, and, more importantly, the 'how and why they did it' is evident early on. Not only that, but interesting as Brett - the narrator - is, she's constantly scatterbrained and forgetful, to the point of seeming Plot Convenient Stupid at key parts of what was an otherwise enjoyable book.
Pretty isn't a terrible read, but it is disappointing. I understand that worthwhile mystery writers make their villains' crimes solvable by their readers, but it shouldn't be that easy.
Followed by Driven to Ink.
Showing posts with label Karen E. Olson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Karen E. Olson. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 04, 2013
Thursday, May 16, 2013
The Missing Ink, by Karen E. Olson
(pb; 2009: first book in the Tattoo Shop Mystery series)
From the back cover:
"When a girl makes an appointment to get devotion ink with the name of her
fiancé embedded in a heart, Brett takes the job, but the girl never shows. The next thing Brett knows, the police are looking for her mysterious client. . . and the name this woman wanted on the tattoo isn't her fiancé's.
"An alliance with an unlikely partner leads Brett to a dead body, a suave Englishman, and an Elvis karaoke bar. And who is the tattooed stranger stalking her? Brett draws lines between the clues, unwittingly putting herself in danger. But she intends to see justice done, since death, like a tattoo, is permanent."
Review
Entertaining read, with engaging characters and a plot that moves along at an smart pace. I figured out most of the who-did-what elements of the book long before Olson reveals the bad guy(s) - I read a lot of mysteries - but I still enjoyed Missing, a promising start to what may be an interesting, subculture-based series.
Worth reading, this.
Followed by Pretty in Ink.
From the back cover:
"When a girl makes an appointment to get devotion ink with the name of her
fiancé embedded in a heart, Brett takes the job, but the girl never shows. The next thing Brett knows, the police are looking for her mysterious client. . . and the name this woman wanted on the tattoo isn't her fiancé's.
"An alliance with an unlikely partner leads Brett to a dead body, a suave Englishman, and an Elvis karaoke bar. And who is the tattooed stranger stalking her? Brett draws lines between the clues, unwittingly putting herself in danger. But she intends to see justice done, since death, like a tattoo, is permanent."
Review
Entertaining read, with engaging characters and a plot that moves along at an smart pace. I figured out most of the who-did-what elements of the book long before Olson reveals the bad guy(s) - I read a lot of mysteries - but I still enjoyed Missing, a promising start to what may be an interesting, subculture-based series.
Worth reading, this.
Followed by Pretty in Ink.
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